Despite valiant rescue efforts, an elderly Cobleskill woman died from injuries she received in a Sunday fire.
Madlyn Wright, 78, died Monday morning at Albany Medical Center, where she had been airlifted after the East MacArthur Avenue fire.
Cobleskill Fire Chief Rich Cooper said the fire apparently started from two candles that had been left burning in the downstairs living room.
Ms. Wright’s granddaughter lit the candles, then left the home shortly afterwards, Chief Cooper said.
The granddaughter returned 45 minutes to an hour later and found the living room in flames. A 911 call brought Cobleskill Police Officer Jeff Brown to the scene, followed minutes later by Officer John Sullivan.
“When I got there, the house was fully involved, with flames coming out of the second-story windows,” Officer Brown said.
Ms. Wright’s daughter, Joanne Coons, had tried to get her bed-ridden mother out of the house but couldn’t do so. A passing neighbor also tried but was unable to get far inside the burning home.
Smoke and heat kept Officer Brown from doing the same.
“I went around the back and tried to go in,” he said. “The smoke and heat were just incredible. . .so intense.”
Officer Brown’s hair was singed, and he suffered mild smoke inhalation. He was treated and released from Cobleskill Regional Hospital.
The next attempt was by Chief Cooper and Assistant Chief Slater, who couldn’t get in even though they wore fire gear.
“Phil and I tried to get in, but the smoke and heat were too intense,” Chief Cooper said. “We’d get in about four or five feet, and the heat would just drive us back.”
The failed rescue efforts lasted just a few minutes. A fire truck arrived, cooled off the house, and Assistant Chief Rick Albert and firefighter Phil Slater Jr. got inside.
A drop ceiling had fallen on Ms. Wright in the bedroom, and volunteers needed a thermal imaging camera to locate her, Chief Cooper said.
Ms. Wright wasn’t breathing, had no pulse and had suffered burns over 80 percent of her body, he said.
Volunteers from the Cobleskill Rescue Squad and Bill Averill of the county Emergency Medical Service revived Ms. Wright before the squad took her to Duanesburg to be airlifted.
Meanwhile, firefighters from Cobleskill, Richmondville and Central Bridge battled the blaze, which nearly destroyed the house, Chief Cooper said.
Although the fire is considered accidental, an investigation continued Monday and Tuesday.

How you can help...

Local Red Cross volunteer Karen Wilson said the agency is housing the Coons family at a local hotel after Sunday’s tragic fire in Cobleskill, but one of the things they really need is a place to live.
“We’ve been providing for the basics, but I’m hoping some landlord will step forward to help them out,” Mrs. Wilson said.
“It’s a very sad situation and that would give them one less thing to have to deal with right now.”
Usually, the Red Cross can only provide three nights of emergency housing for families, but in this case, that’s been extended through Sunday, when the Salvation Army is expected to step in with other assistance.
Mrs. Wilson urged anyone interested in contributing towards Red Cross efforts for the Coons family to contact the agency at 1 (800) 831-0927; only monetary donations marked specifically with their name will go directly to the family, she said.
Though the family had insurance, Mrs. Wilson said they escaped with nothing and the home is a total loss.